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Archie Basil. How I got my body fat into single figures

Stu – Meet Archie Basil. A 41 year old father of three who runs his own business. Archie shared his story after a health scare that gave him the motivation to make some radical changes in the way he lived his life. The image above of Archie on the left was taken in August 2012 at 90 Kilos, just three months late he weighed in at 75.3 Kilos!

Over to Archie…

“Owing my own business I used to spend my days just sitting at my desk, missing meals which lead to binge eating and piling on weight. My stress levels just kept rising in proportion to my waist measurement. After a serious health scare I decided I needed to follow the programs I had been giving to my clients.

The results I lost just under 15 kilos, 23.5cm’s of my waist, over 20% body fat and my blood pressure came down from 165/97 to 113./73. I am now a lot more productive at work which means I have been able to allocate more time to keeping myself healthy and taking time out for my family .”

Nutrition

When we first spoke, you were extremely determined to drop the weight & improve your health.

What was the defining moment to make you turn things around, (the ah-ha moment)?

“I felt very unwell, unhealthy and unfit. My time with my children was suffering as I found I didn’t have any energy to play with them. I would rather sit on the couch and fall asleep. As soon as my wife started to call me “HEART ATTACK HARRY” I knew something needed to be done.”

Were there any particular foods that were your downfall?

“Because I am a very busy business owner I didn’t schedule any time for my food breaks. This made me feeling very hungry as was starving by the time I got home. I would just raid the fridge and cupboard and eat anything in site to satisfy my hunger. Peanut butter sandwiches were high on the list along with any other high carbohydrate convenient food. I also wasn’t drinking any water which wasn’t a good thing.”

“You have to be organised as this is a big part of it. Having the right foods in front of you is a must when you are hungry!”

Could you give a rundown on what a typical days eating looked like back then?

Back then:

Breakfast would be cheese and vegemite toast

Lunch if I ate it would be peanut butter sandwiches

Dinner was what would ever be put on the table which was always healthy, but I developed a habit of indulging after dinner! Anything from chocolates to ice cream to chips because my blood sugars were going crazy I felt like I needed a fix.

Lunch Some form of meat protein and big leafy salad with olive oil or flaxseed oil. And if I’m on the run, a 180 smoothie again :)

Dinner Similar as before, mainly protein and veggies

Snack through the day Varies from day to day, but I try and keep it as natural as possible… Nuts & seeds, fruit, etc.

“I always try to eat as unprocessed when I can. I’m not one who is against carbohydrates; it’s more about the quality of them and the timing in which they enter my body.”

What did you used to drink, and has that changed much?

“In fairness, I never really drank anything bad like diet soft drinks etc. My biggest problem was that I did not drink enough of anything! I’ve never really drink anything but water but I drink much more of it now. Usually 2-1/2 ltrs a day.”

Exercise & Mindset

Were you exercising when you were overweight, and are you exercising any differently now?

“If anything my training is a lot less intense than it used to be when I was training as a 100m sprinter. I have found that this is more sustainable for me now as I also have other priorities in my life and need a balance for my children. I have never been into one particular way of exercising. (away from training for a specific event) but on a general level you need to find something that works for you and enjoy whatever type of training that maybe I say go for it.”

“Personally I do like to include some form of weight/strength training including, standard weights, kettlebell circuits and olympic lifting once a week. And the one to two days of interval work up to 30mins. Whether it be the rower, sprints, bike etc.”

We always hear people say that they don’t have enough time to exercise or be organized, how did you overcome this?

“I made it a priority and blocked time out in my schedule to do it. If that meant getting up 6am on a Sunday to get it done then that’s what I will do. As I do at the moment when it needs to be done.”

Did you have any lightbulb moments along the way? If so, what were they?

“No not really. It’s all about being consistent and doing the right things right no matter how small the right things are. Once old habits are gone and you create new ones, you can really get in the flow and get momentum!”

Did you hit any plateaus? If so, how did you overcome them?

“No not really. Once I set my mind to something I don’t allow anything to hold me back.”

For anyone reading this who is looking to lose weight for the long term, do you have one single piece of advice you can give them?

“You can say I want to lose weight to yourself without any meaning. If you do that your journey will not last. The first thing you need to do is flick the switch in your brain and change your mindset. (Guy: I wrote a post on this here)”

“Set your goals by writing them down and set small targets to tick off along the way to keep you motivated. Accept that you will make mistakes along the way and know that they aren’t signs of you failing. Instead, get back up and learn from your mistakes and don’t let anything get in your way of achieving your goals. Once you set your goals don’t do anything that is not coherent with them. It’s cliche but it really is one step at a time, one day at time, one week at a time.”

Has your personal health journey inspired others?

“Yes, especially my dad. It’s been awesome to see him change the way he looks at food! As I am a fitness trainer, it’s been awesome to inspire and be around people who are on the same journey. There’s one case where a client lost over 23kg! Simply awesome to see people smash their goals.”

“I also hope this post inspires others too! If you are on a similar journey, please share it with us :)”

Apart from weight loss, has there been other benefits to your newfound health since you changed the way you eat and live?

“Everything in life is so much better! I feel vibrant again and I really can’t imagine going back to the old me.”

Thanks so much to Archie Basil for sharing his story. If you want to connect with Archie you’ll find him at Basil Bodies below:

Based out of Coburg, Melbourne, Victoria, Basil Bodies, is dedicated to helping people from all walks of life to look and feel their best, while developing a healthy lifestyle and preventing health disease.

Did you enjoy the post? Do you know anyone you can share it with to help them kick-start their new vibrant selves? Are you on a similar journey yourself? We’d love to hear from you in the comment section below… Stu